


bait

by Svynakee



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Link 'teaches' Sidon how to 'fish', Link is a nasty dirty boy who can't keep it in his pants, M/M, Oneshot, Post-Canon, Prompt Fic, Romance, suggestive dialogue?, well okay ambiguously post-canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-25 21:41:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13843581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Svynakee/pseuds/Svynakee
Summary: Every fish has its own preferred bait, and every good angler knows exactly what to use for their target. Link takes the time to demonstrate to his boyfriend the advantages of knowing how to lure a catch.





	bait

It was a beautiful day. Not a single cloud interrupted the blue expanse of sky that stretched overhead, the air was fragrant with the perfume of wildflowers and the grass underfoot was softs and vibrant. Toto Lake lay before him, its golden sparkles dancing atop the clear water. Sidon could hear the splash of fish as they leapt up to catch the insects that hovered just above the surface. Sparrows tittered as they hopped, little tufts of colour and birdsong. A frog croaked among the rushes.

Sidon took another long look at his surroundings. He listened. He even scented the air, although his nose wasn’t as sharp above water.

While the afternoon sun warmed him pleasantly, it also dried out his scales which would result in uncomfortable itchiness. Sidon debated whether to wait for Link in the lake itself, but decided that he didn’t want to risk Link not seeing him below the surface. So, he settled down in the shade of a tall pine and prepare to wait-

_Thud._

Sidon yelled in surprise as a shadow dropped down from above. He jumped back, his back pressed against the rough trunk of the tree, an involuntary hiss escaping from his teeth. His heart hammered in his chest, pumping adrenaline to his limbs, preparing for the threat, the fight.

Link laughed. “Sleeping on our date? How rude.”

“You did _not_ have to do that,” Sidon growled. Link must have seen him the moment he’d arrived. It made his tail twitch to think of how silly he’d looked.

“I’m sorry,” Link said with palpable insincerity. “I couldn’t resist.”

Before Sidon could reply, Link ran up to him and threw his arms around Sidon’s neck so that he could kiss him. The Zora felt his anger melt away like morning dew before the sun; Link knew exactly how to play him.  

“So, you wish to teach me Hylian fishing?” Sidon asked.

“It’s a popular hobby; good for relaxation and useful as well.” Link walked behind the tree and returned holding a long rod in his hand with a string and a reel attached to it. Sidon had seen Hylians using the piece of equipment before – he’d also, in his youth, been careless enough to get a fishing hook caught in his fin. The Zora eyed it warily due to the memory. Link, who knew the story, laughed and assured him, “I’ll be doing all the handling today. This fishing rod is too small for you to use comfortably, anyway.”

“I’m certain that I’ll have an immensely enjoyable time watching you,” Sidon told him as they walked to the water’s edge, making Link smile.

The man was also holding a covered basket. He set that down on the grass before seating himself. With a deft flick of his wrist Link flipped the lip back and Sidon peered over his shoulder to see the basket’s contents. There seemed to be many smaller containers inside which held rough red, brown, grey and black cubes. The smell of freshly picked mushrooms, some familiar and others exotic, filled the air. Link selected a piece. Holding it up for Sidon to inspect, he said, “Hylian shroom, good for Hyrule bass.”

Sidon nodded obediently.

“However!” Link suddenly cried, flourishing the red and orange fungus dramatically.

Sidon leaned in, eyes wide, tail wagging in anticipation. “However?”

“However, your bait will only work if it’s fresh! Throwing low-quality bait into the water is useless.”

“I see!”

“So, it’s important to know how to check if your bait is fresh.”

“Of course!”

Link handed him the piece of mushroom and took out another piece for himself. It was a piece of the cap, still red and curved on one side, covered with dark gills on the other. Link ran his finger over the dark brown flaps, gently so that they flattened and bounced back up one after another. Sidon knew that touch, he realised; the same way Link would brush his fingers down Sidon’s scales, marvelling at their smoothness and shine. That light, teasing touch that left trails of tingling warmth down Sidon’s skin…

“Sidon? Pay attention!” Link mock-scolded. “If the gills are dry and come off easily, then its unusable. The colour of Hylian shrooms doesn’t fade even when dried out, so that’s the best thing to rely on.”

Sidon nodded, hoping Link wouldn’t notice the way his own gills had suddenly become dry. Link beckoned him to follow him to the lakeside. With a deft flick of his wrist, Link threw his piece of mushroom into the water. It made a small splash. As they watched it bobbed back to the surface, a spot of bright red against the blue water.

After a moment it disappeared. Sidon glimpsed the orange fin of a Hyrule bass break the surface as the ripples died away. He turned to Link and said, “That worked perfectly! Should I use my bait as well?”

But Link’s expression was not one of satisfaction. The slightly furrowed brow, the lips pressed together in a straight line, the downcast eyes. Disappointment? Frustration? It was gone in an instant, like a cloud passing over the sun.

“Next fish – hearty bass. Hearty truffle works best as bait. It’s a good way to use small ones, or truffles that have been broken apart by animals.” Link reached into the basket again and withdrew something small, dark and lumpy. It looked a bit like a clump of dirt.

“I would have never guessed that to be a foodstuff,” Sidon admitted.

Link pressed the truffle into his hand. “It doesn’t look like other edible fungi, but you can find it near tree roots in colder regions. There’s a couple ways to spot them, though. Hearty truffles are always round. They grow paler with age, so the small ones are the hardest to see.”

While the truffle had looked small enough in Link’s hands, it practically disappeared when Sidon closed his fingers around it. He poked at it with a claw. The rough skin came away, leaving a gash in the dark fungus. Sidon shot a panicked look at Link, who laughed and took the truffle back.

“You need to be gentle. Truffles are a delicacy, you know!”

He cupped the truffle in his hand. It fit snug into his palm – firmly enough to stay put, yet gentle enough that it wasn’t damaged. Delicately, he ran a nail across the round shape, trailing it down one of its ridges. “See? Gently… that’s the way.”

His hands would be warm, his palms soft. A contrast with the hard, curved edge of his nail, ticklish. Sidon blinked, wondering where that thought had come from. He coughed to hide his embarrassment and said, “I’ll be more careful next time. What now?”

“Usually, now would be the time you attach the truffle to the hook. But we’ll save that for another time.” Another plop and the truffle was floating across the water, until something unseen sucked it below.

Sidon caught Link looking intently at his face. The moment their eyes met, Link’s darted away, as furtive as the fish in the lake. His ears twitched slightly. Sidon wondered if he was upset the truffle got scratched. The Zora resolved to be more careful with the next piece of bait, although he was finding it harder and harder to concentrate…

A splash caught their attention. They looked up in time to see the culprit leap again, its strong tail propelling it out of the water gracefully before it dived back down.

“Mighty carp,” Link observed. “Not a fish for beginners, but a well sought-after sporting fish as it puts up a good fight. After all… a challenge makes for a more satisfying reward.”

“Indeed!” Sidon didn’t understand the odd look Link gave him.

“For mighty carp, razorshroom works best. They have a similar colour and shape to Hylian shrooms, so I’ve picked a whole one for instructive purposes.” He handed Sidon the mushroom which did in fact look like the Hylian shrooms Sidon was used to seeing in the local area. “The main difference between them and Hylian shrooms is the little slice they have on the cap. See? Right here.”

The slice was easily visible, revealing the paler pink flesh of the mushroom underneath. Sidon thought it looked a bit like a mouth – red lips with soft pink inside. A small, teasing smile.

“Feel it,” Link told him. “It should be soft.”

Sidon did as he said. Link was right; the flesh inside was velvet smooth and yielded easily to his touch.

“Like my lips.”

Sidon almost dropped the razorshroom. He looked at Link, which was a mistake, because he found himself staring at Link’s mouth. Soft, pink, warm. The phantom sweetness of kisses shared as they watched the sunset from Zora’s Domain. The passion and hunger of midnight romps. Turning his head away so Link couldn’t see his blush, Sidon held the razorshroom out to him. “Yes. Quite. I’ll know how to identify this type of bait, now.”

Link’s fingers brushed against his hand as he took the mushroom from him. His touch set Sidon’s skin tingling. It was so tempting, to snap his fingers shut and trap that pale wrist in his claws, pull the man close. Sidon resisted – but he could feel his control slipping, having been tested to his limits.

Link turned to throw the razorshroom cap into the water. As he lifted his Sidon saw the suddenly tempting soft skin of his throat, smooth and fair, unprotected by the champion’s tunic. It was too much. Sidon struck, laying down a ruthless barrage of kisses down Link’s neck, from just beneath his ear then making his way down to nuzzle at his collarbone. Link laughed, wriggling in his grasp for a moment before tilting his head to allow Sidon to kiss wherever he pleased. Sidon didn’t waste the opportunity, urged on by the breathless sounds of encouragement Link made as his mouth claimed him.

And when he stopped to look Link in the eyes, seeing the Hylian’s wide – and rather smug – smile, Sidon knew: he was hooked.

**Author's Note:**

> This Link's at it again! The same Link from [this story](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13039074) and [this one](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12710859).


End file.
